To Care for a Wretch
by Maxtron01
Summary: When Gaara gets taken to Orochimaru's lair, what will become of him? Will he survive and make new friends or will he be nothing more than a valuable weapon for the team?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was a hot and sunny day in a desert village known as Suna. All of the village's children were having fun at their local playground; smiling, laughing, chasing each other, building sand castles, and swinging on the swing sets like they didn't have a care in the world. Seeing these children in such a state of bliss, one would think that nothing is wrong with them.

Everything was going fine until a certain boy stepped in. He did not look much like any of the other kids. He had messy brick red hair, fair skin, and pupiless blue eyes with black rims around them. Immediately, they all stopped and stared, fear written all over their faces.

"Run for your lives, that monster's going to kill us all!" One boy shouted on the farthest side of the site. Immediately, everyone ran away in every which direction, leaving the redhead all alone almost immediately when he stepped into the place. He looked down at the ground.

"Of course they would run away. They ALWAYS run away..." He mumbled sadly.

The poor boy walked to a swing, and began slowly swinging himself to and fro with a sad expression, clearly not enjoying his time alone there. Even though he had two siblings (an older brother and sister), neither of them ever had much, if any, time to spend with him. They would always be busy training for future missions and learning how to serve the village properly as any loyal sand ninja would.

Why doesn't anyone see that I'm not bad? Sure I'm the host of one-tailed Shukaku whom everyone's afraid of, but I have never let him come out and attack anyone. All I want is a friend who takes me for who I am and doesn't mind that I have a monster inside me. Is that too much to ask, or am I really doomed for the rest of my life? Every unanswered question in the poor child's mind only served to add to his feeling of misery. The boy's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Gaara, time to come home!" The boy lifted his head with a smile to see a man he cared for.

"Coming, Uncle Yashamaru!" He replied, running to the man. Yashamaru smiled brightly at his nephew.

"So, did you make a new friend today, Gaara?" Gaara sadly shook his head, looking at the ground. Yashamaru continued to smile; it made Gaara wonder if he had something good to tell him.

When they got back home, Yashamaru asked his nephew to take a seat on the couch. Gaara obediently sat down and Yashamaru sat right next to him, gently wrapping his arm around his chest. "Gaara, I have some good news." Gaara looked up at his uncle, hope manifesting in his eyes.

"What is it, Uncle Yashamaru?" Gaara asked.

"Well I talked with the Kazekage earlier today, and we've finally decided what we're going to do to fix your situation." Gaara's smiled widened. He didn't know what Yashamaru had in mind, but he was sure he would like it. Yashamaru closed his eyes, preparing his words. He then opened them and said, "Gaara… we'll be moving to Konoha next week." Gaara was speechless. He didn't know what to think of his uncle's message. "I can't say for sure, but I think you'll be more likely to have a normal life over there than here. I understand you never made a friend here because everyone here knows you have Shukaku inside you, right? Gaara nodded his head. "Well don't you worry! When you get to Konoha, I'm sure you'll make at least one good friend there if not more." Gaara's spirits lifted. He felt ecstatic about the idea of finally getting a friend.

* * *

Later that night, Gaara sat on the roof staring at the moon with stars plastered everywhere in the sky. He smiled brightly; he couldn't stop thinking happily about finally making a friend in a new village.

 _I bet we'll have so much fun together. I hope we'll build sandcastles and play Hide-and-Seek. Wouldn't that be fun!_ After having been friendless his entire life, Gaara felt he was finally going to have his loneliness cured.

Out of the blue, three kunai came speeding directly at Gaara. Gaara looked in shock; he saw that someone was about to try hurting him. He could not make out who it was because his attacker was wearing a white mask. Luckily, a thick layer of sand appeared right in front of him to stop them just in the nick of time; this was indeed the power of Shukaku within of him. Garaa then threw a barrage of hardened sand spears at the masked man in retaliation at lightning speed, severely wounding his target. The sand spears disintegrated as Gaara walked toward his wounded attacker. Gaara, gulping with fear, pulled off the mask and was shocked to find who it was.

"Hello, monster!" said the attacker voice in a sickly tone. Gaara was so taken aback.

"Y-Yashamaru?" Gaara said stuttering in shock. He couldn't understand why his own uncle of all people tried to kill his own nephew. After every good thing Yashamaru had said and done for him, it certainly wouldn't make any sense for him to suddenly turn into a lethal enemy.

"Yes, Gaara! Surprised?" Yashamaru was gnashing his teeth. It seemed he had been deceiving Gaara the entire time, though for what reason, Gaara couldn't figure out. None of it made any sense to him.

"But why? I don't understand," Gaara said, voice trembling with shock and sadness. "I thought you loved me!" Tears began forming in his eyes as he watched his uncle struggle to lift his head. Yashamaru was clearly in pain, filled with such bitter anger and it made Gaara feel scared in addition to the bad feelings he was experiencing.

"Loved you? I actually hated you since the day you were born. You should have never existed! My sister died bringing you into this world and that's because of the monster inside of you!" Gaara covered his eyes and bit his lip, trying to contain his tears. Yashamaru somehow started seeming rather pleased himself. "I recently received new orders from the Kazekage. I'm sure you remember when I said you were going to move to a new village… well that's not at all what the Kazekage agreed to. Actually, he instructed me to do what's best for everyone here in Suna. He wants everyone in this village to never speak to you or speak of you to anyone ever again from this day forward." Gaara clenched his fists, about to strike his uncle, but Yashamaru lifted his head with a dastardly grin and yelled, "NOW DIE!" He pulled apart his jacket, revealing several explosion tags. Gaara's eyes widened in shocked. BOOM! A huge explosion came followed right after by a cloud of smoke enveloping the whole scene.

Instantly, the smoke cleared and Gaara was still standing – the sand shield quickly came up to protect him once again. The sand disappeared and Gaara stared down at his now lifeless uncle, filled with grief and anger, unsure of what to make of what had just transpired.

"I… I can't believe this… I'm… I'm truly alone now! Gaara now felt helpless and desolate. He covered his face with his hands, trying to suppress the tears that were to come. I don't have anyone but myself now. This isn't what I wanted, but... I guess… I'll have to live for myself now. Nobody loved me and nobody ever will! This is the curse that I must live with! With those words in mind, Gaara slowly lifted his hand to raise a lump of sand, streams of grains falling slowly to the ground. He thrusted the sand at the left side of his forehead to etch a kanji that read 'love.' There was quite a lot of blood flowing from the etch running down his face and over his left eye, but Gaara didn't mind; he was too filled with anguish and fury to think of anything else.

"Now, time to put an end to all my enemies!" Gaara raised his arms to move the sand up to the sky. With all the rage inside of him, Gaara was ready to flatten the entire village aside from himself because he brought up a sand barrier surrounding him. Before he could do it, however, a mysterious figure rushed in and quickly stuck a purple tag to Gaara's forehead, somehow bypassing Gaara's shield. Gaara immediately lost consciousness before falling to the ground on his side.

* * *

 **Well guys, thanks for reading the first chapter. What do you think so far? What do you like and/or dislike about this story so far? Please leave a review to let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Ahhhhh!" Gaara put both hands on opposite sides of his head when he woke up, his eyes still shut tightly. Somehow his head was hurting quite a lot. "Oh! What happened? Why does my head hurt so much?" it seemed the pain continued to worsen as Gaara pressed on his head harder and harder in the faint hopes that doing so would somehow make the pain stop. One minute passed and the pain got so bad, that it had Gaara in tears, writhing on the floor and yelling in pain. He feared he would soon die from the pain becoming too severe.

Too in pain to notice anything else, Gaara's arms were pried away from his head something was then pressed firmly against his head. Suddenly, the pain stopped and Gaara breathed a long and heavy sigh of relief. He slowly opened his eyes to see his surroundings and immediately noticed in front of him a tall man with white hair tied back in a ponytail and black round glasses encompassing his onyx eyes. He had a slightly pale complexion, and a dark purple shirt and pants. Both the man and Gaara stared at each other. Gaara studied the mysterious man's face, wondering if he had something to do with easing his ever-worsening head pain he had experienced earlier. He gave the man a smile, thinking he relieved him of the pain somehow.

"No need to thank me… all part of my duties here." The unknown man's expression looked serious. "Please, forgive me," he said solemnly. "I'm the one responsible for the massive headache you have endured." Gaara gave a curious look as Kabuto continued. "The exhaustion tags I use are not without their side effects. They cause temporary memory loss 75% of the times they are applied and in rare but extreme cases… severe headaches. The one I used after I knocked you unconscious was supposed to keep you asleep until I got you to our destination." He then gave a smile. "Please don't misunderstand… I didn't want to put one on you, but it was the only way I could bring you here alive and safely." The man's smile widened as he saw Gaara stand up, brushing off the dirt from his green shirt. The man cleared his throat before saying, "Now… allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kabuto Yakushi, a ninja specializing in medical ninjitsu. I'm the man who saved you from yourself and the village you were about to obliterate."

"What? I… I was about to destroy a village? Why was I going to do that?" Gaara was feeling quite afraid as Kabuto relayed the information. Gaara's eyes widened in shock. It was obvious the poor boy didn't remember any such thing.

"I don't know, Gaara. No one told me why you were about to demolish Suna in such a rage-filled state. I was simply instructed to subdue you and take you here." Kabuto gave his answer in a sad tone. He bent down on his knees to Gaara's level and got up close. He looked the boy straight in the eyes and said softly, "I'm sure you don't know what's going on or where you are as of now, but trust me... you're safe here. Part of the reason I have brought you here is so you can't hurt anyone… even yourself." Kabuto then smirked. "Which means you aren't allowed to use your power of sand unless I or my master says so."

Gaara narrowed his eyes, expecting more words he wouldn't want to hear. He didn't fully understand what Kabuto was saying as he was still gradually recovering from the side effects brought about by the man's exhaustion tag, but hardly any of what he said mattered to him at the moment.

"Where am I?" Gaara asked, looking in every which direction, trying to take in his surroundings. Clearly, he was feeling a little fearful. _What kind of place is this? I don't think I've been here before, have I? The walls look like they're made of rocks, the ground is completely made of dirt, and there's no window so the only light this room has is coming from that torch by the door. I wonder… am I… in an underground dungeon?_

Kabuto could tell the boy was filled with curious anxiety. He stood up straight and replied, "Don't worry, Gaara. We're in a cave about seventy feet below ground level. No one will find us here – not in a hundred years! You'll be safe from anyone who's looking to kill you and believe me," Kabuto paused to emphasize what he was about to say. "There are many ninjas hunting for you... but that also means..." Kabuto gave a small evil laugh. "…that no one will ever take you from here and bring you back to your home village."

Gaara didn't like how Kabuto said it with such confidence and such a sinister tone. Somehow, it made him feel he was being held prisoner, unable to leave if he wanted to. Now certain that he was being held against his will, Gaara was filled with rage. It was then the effects of the medicine completely wore off and he remembered everything. He remembered why he was about to destroy his home village and why he felt he had a right to do what he ultimately failed in doing. The regained memory added much to his anger.

"So you're holding me inside a secret cave against my will, right? Well I won't allow that. You are so dead, scum!" Kabuto only gave a devilish grin in response. With one fist clenched, Gaara stretched his arm out and quickly opened his hand, palm facing his target. He projected a big stream of sand at the seemingly defenseless Kabuto. Gaara was able to draw the ground minerals from a certain crack in a nearby wall.

With his lightning fast reflexes, Kabuto channeled much of his chakra to his hands. Indeed, he was prepared for Gaara's retaliation. His hands were externally flowing with active blue chakra. He swiftly cut through Gaara's sand with an open palm, saving himself from a critical blow. This angered Gaara further, so he sent more streams of sand after him, hoping he could bind him before crushing him, but Kabuto kept slicing through the sand with incredible speed, gradually making his way closer and closer to the boy with each small step. Kabuto stopped the flow in his right hand and pulled out a purple tag with it, his left hand still glowing and still being used to counter the attacks. Without a moment's hesitation, he swiftly and roughly forced the tag to Gaara's forehead. The little boy then fell to floor on his back with a thud, incapacitated.

"Lord Orochimaru will be so pleased with this one. No doubt he'll be our best asset yet for many of our missions to come." Kabuto chuckled and slung Gaara over his shoulder while bringing him out of the room.

* * *

 **Thanks again for reading, guys. Again, please post a review to let me know if this story is to your liking or if there's something I should add and/or omit.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Mmmhhh… uhhh…. Where am I?" Gaara opened his eyes to see nothing but blurry shapes illuminated by a bright orange glow. Somehow he felt so weak and dizzy that he couldn't stand. Realizing he was powerless to do anything, Gaara laid on the ground and closed his eyes, hoping to recover eventually. Fortunately, he didn't forget anything after the last tag used on him. As he laid there, he cast his mind back to his horrible encounter with Kabuto. _That Scoundrel! How dare he take me away and imprison me in some place I know nothing about. How would I escape if I tried? What chance do I have? Oh, I so want to get back at that man!_

As Gaara thought about Kabuto and getting revenge against him, he could feel the hatred well inside of him and it was tormenting him greatly. Eventually, he decided he should not dwell on such thoughts until he had recovered. Gaara wasn't sure, but he thought his negative thoughts were aggravating his condition, so he decided to think positive thoughts like remembering the time when he and his two siblings were building a sandcastle in a sandbox. It was one of the few good moments of his life that he treasured. _I wish I could have spent more time with them but most of the time, they told me they were too busy with missions. I wonder how they're doing right now. Do they even miss me?_

After some time had passed, Gaara opened his eyes to see his vision had completely returned. He then slowly picked himself up and stood with perfect balance. He breathed a sigh of relief, delighted to have finally recovered. _Now if I could just figure out where I am exactly._

Gaara looked all around him to see he was in a small room with a wall-mounted bed, a sink, and a toilet. Three of the walls were made of stone while the front wall consisted entirely of thick metal bars complete with a rusted metal door. Gaara immediately knew where he was when he saw the bars and it made him furious to know he couldn't escape. He tried to use his power of sand, but remembered there was no sand nearby.

 _I can't believe it... I lost to him!_ Gaara lowered his head with eyes closed. _It's over for me, isn't it?_ Tears fell from his eyes to the hard, cold floor. Eventually, he walked over to his bed and flopped onto it, laying on his back with eyes closed. A few hours passed, and Gaara thought over everything. _I guess I deserve this. I've let Shukaku get the best of me at the worst possible time. There was hardly a time when the monster inside of me didn't try to make me do what I shouldn't. I guess he succeeded when I was so shocked and mad at Yashamaru. Shukaku took advantage of my emotions and tried to get me to kill everyone. Maybe I should be thankful Kabuto stopped me before it was too late…_

Footsteps were heard and Gaara sat up straight to see who was coming. It was Kabuto and his face held a serious expression.

"Alright, Gaara, let's get going. It's time I introduced you to some other people residing down here." Gaara straightened his back, his eyes meeting Kabuto's with no emotion. Kabuto slowly opened the door which made quite a creaking sound. Gaara just continued giving an emotionless stare in response.

In his mind, Gaara was still holding a bit of a grudge.

 _Sure, Kabuto may have done the right thing by stopping me; but maybe he did it because he wanted to take me for something. There's no way he could have stopped me just because it was the right thing to do. Although I can't prove it, he must have an agenda._ Even though he was thinking that Kabuto had something sinister in store for him, Gaara realized he didn't have much of a choice, given the situation he was in. Yet despite getting a faint idea of what was going on, Gaara remained standing in place.

"Come. They're expecting you, and I do have other tasks that must get done by tonight... **so let's get this over with quickly!** " Seemingly growing impatient, Kabuto motioned toward himself.

Barely making a sound, Gaara slowly walked to the man, head low and looking to the ground. Kabuto didn't like how Gaara was carrying himself.

"Gaara, keep your chin up. I know you don't like where you are but trust me; I'm sure you'll like your new 'friends.' Kabuto took Gaara by the hand and led him down a long, dark corridor; certain parts of the walls illuminated by burning torches.

After a few minutes, Kabuto stopped right in front of a door at the very end of the corridor. He looked down at Gaara with a serious expression on his face. "Before we go in, there are a few rules you need to know. Gaara just gave a blank stare in response. Kabuto raised his index finger before speaking.

"First of all, no talking unless I say so – even if they start talking to you." The man then lifted his second finger and said, "Second, do not touch anything." Now raising three fingers, Kabuto said firmly, "And finally, try to act friendly to these inmates." He narrowed his eyes. "I want you to make a good first impression; you will be working with them for quite some time – possibly your entire life."

Gaara's eyes widened. Fearing what Kabuto said was true, Gaara's body began to shiver. He wasn't so sure he would like seeing these people.

 _If Kabuto could beat me so easily, would these guys be just as powerful as him?_ Gaara closed his eyes and lowered his head. _Who are these people I'm about to meet and why are they here? Did Kabuto bring them here too?_ _ **Just what is going on down here?**_

Kabuto cleared his throat before slowly opening the door. Standing right next to the door, he motioned for Gaara to step through. "Come, let's not make this take longer than it should." Gaara walked through and was immediately greeted by the sight of two long rows of prison cells, one on opposite sides. "This way, please!" Kabuto said, leading Gaara by the hand. Gaara looked both ways, observing the cells; every one of them he saw was empty.

They reached the end of hallway and Gaara saw four people each one in the last four cells. Gaara's heart began racing as he took in their appearances. They looked more intimidating than he expected. They all looked slightly older than him and they all looked rough. _These must be the people Kabuto was wanting to introduce me to. They sure don't look very kind. Also, why are they looking at me like that?_ The four prisoners greeted Gaara with an intense stare. This made Gaara feel a little more uneasy. _Why are they looking at me like that?_

"Well, well, well…," said the creepiest-looking one of the bunch. "Looks like Lord Orochimaru got desperate for a new recruit – a little squirt, no less!" The four broke into laughter and Gaara started clenching his fists, feeling insulted by such a degrading statement. Kabuto laid a hand on Gaara's shoulder before staring at the prisoners in such a way to tell them to stop their foolish laughter. They stopped immediately and looked at Kabuto, seemingly filled with fear.

Kabuto addressed them, anger in his voice. "Shame on all of you! Lord Orochimaru makes no mistakes when he sends me to find certain people for his own purposes. This is Gaara from Suna; he possesses the power to manipulate sand." This piqued their attention. "Though how that is possible, I cannot be sure yet. Anyway, I want you guys to treat this boy as an equal member of your team. I have no doubt he will be invaluable to you for future missions." Kabuto cleared his throat. "Now everyone, say your names for Gaara."

"My name's Jirobo; I'm the strongest of the four." One boy said in a gruff voice. He stepped up and grabbed the bars of his cell. He was dressed in white with a purple rope around his waist. He had three tufts of orange hair, two on both sides of his head with the third being on top in the shape of a mohawk. His orange-brown eyes stared straight into Gaara's filled with pride.

"But mentally, he's the weakest of us!" Chimed in one girl, giggling. Jirobo was outraged.

"Shut up, Tayuya! You'd never beat me at arm wrestling even if your life depended on it."

"Sure, fatso; but I can still beat you at pretty much anything else!" The girl chuckled, adding to Jirobo's temper.

"Why, you little..." Jirobo was cut off when he heard Kabuto shout.

"Enough, both of you! We're all supposed to be setting a good example for our new member and so far two of you have proven to be quite foolish and unable to cooperate!" Kabuto took a moment to cool down before saying something else. "All right, no more childish antics from any of you, or else!" He said it in such a loud and harsh tone that it had them feeling more fearful than before. "Alright, Next!"

A tall boy stepped up with a smile. His skin was dark and his eyes were black. His black hair was kept back in a big, shaggy ponytail. Like Jirobo, he was also dresssed in white with a purple rope around his waist. Gaara's widened in shock; there was one distinguishing feature this boy had that made him look so bizarre and frightening: he had six arms instead of two.

"My my… how interesting to meet you… Gaara, is it?" Gaara gave a small nod. "My name's Kidomaru. I'm not like the rest of my friends here. Do you know why? Because I have the powers of a spider!" Gaara's eyes widened. "I can shoot and make web from my mouth, and I can create an armor around my body with 'sticky gold.' I can also make weapons with it, which makes fights for me so much easier and more entertaining!"

"Wow..." Gaara mumbled under his breath. From what he heard, this guy sounded like quite a skilled fighter, though how skilled is still unknown to him.

"Of course, there's more to me than I'm letting on, but maybe you'll witness firsthand the full extent of my powers, that is… if you live long enough!" Kidomaru said with such pride.

"Okay, Kidomaru, we get it." Kabuto said, his patience wearing a little thin. "Next one, please!"

It was yet another boy who stepped up to the bars. He had on the same clothes as the last two prisoners with his own distinguishing features: he had bluish gray hair in bangs, the right one covering his right eye; a dark shade of green on his lips, and thin, dark markings around his eyes.

"Well, well, well… glad I could finally speak to you, Gaara. My name is Sakon and I'm the leader of this team. I possess a certain power other ninjas could only dream of having, and it has never failed me… or I really should say… 'he.'"

 _He?_ Gaara gave Sakon a puzzling look. He had no idea what Sakon was talking about.

"Allow me to introduce him." Gaara stared in shock as he saw something appear behind Sakon's head. What appeared to be a head peaked over Sakon's shoulder.

"Nice to meet you," the head said in a sickly tone. He wrapped his arms around Sakon's neck. "I'm Ukon, Sakon's twin brother. I've been a part of Sakon's body ever since we came into the world. In some senses of the word, we are inseparable! As my brother said before, he has never lost a battle because of the power I grant him."

Gaara had so many questions he wanted to ask the twins concerning their powers. Before he opened his mouth, he remembered what Kabuto said about no talking unless given permission. With that in mind, he kept his lips sealed and hoped he would get an opportunity to ask them another time.

"Alright, little girl. You're the last one!" Kabuto said.

The girl stepped up to the bars. She had pinkish red hair with brown eyes. Her skin was fair. She was dressed the same as the others except she also had on a black stocking cap with white bandages covering the lower part of it. She was taller than Gaara by at least two inches.

"The name's Tayuya; I happen to be the one who uses Genjutsu with this," She proudly stated, holding up a flute, smirking.

For some reason, Gaara started getting interested in Tayuya. He wanted to ask Tayuya what Genjutsu was since he had never heard of such a thing prior to meeting Kabuto. However, he again remembered Kabuto's words and kept quiet.

"Good! Now that we've got the introductions out of the way, it's time to rest up. We've got a long day ahead of us and Lord Orochimaru wants nothing but the best from each and every one of you." Kabuto smirked, feeling so powerful to address the prisoners. "You as well, Gaara. I have no doubt you'll make all of us proud."

Gaara looked up at Kabuto, feeling anxious. Was Kabuto really going to send him on some kind of a mission? Only time would tell.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The sun shone through the barred window and the rays touched Gaara's face. Seeing the light through his eyelids, Gaara slowly opened his eyes to see it was morning. Sitting up and stretching his arms out, Gaara suddenly remembered what Kabuto told him the day before. He didn't know what was coming but after getting well rested, he felt ready.

The little boy remembered his late uncle's words about sleeping while being the host of the one-tailed Shukaku. He was certain there was a significant possibility the beast inside of him would take complete control over his mind, and he'd be unable to break free. However, there were nights when he couldn't stay awake no matter how hard he tried and the night before was no better given what he had been through.

Gaara heard footsteps and turned around to see someone at the door. It was Kabuto looking in through the bars with a tiny smile.

"Good morning, Gaara. Did you sleep well?"

Gaara nodded. He slowly slid off the bed feet first and faced Kabuto with a small look of determination.

"Excellent!" Kabuto said in admiration. He unlocked the door and opened it widely. "This way, please." He motioned for Gaara to come out the door.

Gaara slowly walked right out and Kabuto seemed pleased. The boy's act of obedience at least signified he finally felt ready to comply with the man's orders. Gaara's face was emotionless, but Kabuto didn't mind; somehow he knew Gaara would follow his orders.

Grabbing Gaara by the hand, Kabuto led the boy down the hall of cells. Where he was taking him today, Gaara didn't know. Kabuto moved his eyes to see Gaara as they walked. _Hard to believe today is the day. I may have seen his sand manipulation in action twice, but I can already tell he may be our best asset yet._ He moved his eyes slightly upward to see Gaara's red marking on the forehead. _How on earth did such a young child get an etching like that… on the forehead of all places?_ Kabuto figured now would be a good time to inquire about the etching. He cleared his throat, catching Gaara's attention. "How did you get 'that' on your forehead?" The question caught Gaara off-guard. At first he didn't know how to answer, but he decided to be straightforward and tell the truth since he didn't think he'd have much of anything to lose. Kabuto listened intently, taking in every word Gaara gently and slowly said. After Gaara was finished, Kabuto's lips fell into a frown. "Gaara, I'm so sorry. And given how recent it was, I'm sure you're still trying to cope, aren't you?" The crestfallen boy nodded.

"Nobody back in Suna ever really loved me and my brother and sister never had enough time to spend with me anyway. Everyone was so afraid of me." A tear fell from Gaara's eyes to the floor. "And it's all because… I'm the host of the One-tailed Shukaku!" Kabuto's eyes widened slightly with surprise.

"Well… that does explain a lot. I think I understand now how hurt you must really feel. Would it help you to know your cellmates are monsters too? Day and Night, they are trained to fight tooth and nail for Orochimaru when need be. Once you see their abilities at work, you'll feel right at home; I promise."

After hearing Kabuto's words of comfort, Gaara started to feel a bit more confident. Now he really felt ready to do what he must even if he didn't know what it would be.

They reached the open exit of the cave and Gaara saw the four prisoners from the night before lined up military style. It seemed they were awaiting orders.

"Get in line, Gaara!" Kabuto said, pointing next to Jirobo. Gaara walked to the spot and stood military style like the others facing Kabuto. "Good. Today is the day we eliminate an enemy camp roughly 16 kilometers from here. You just have to go to the upper left part of the forest to see it; you can't miss it. For one week now, they've been trying to infiltrate this cave. Fortunately, I was able to repel them for as long as I have now. Well, now is our golden opportunity to strike." Kabuto took a small breath before continuing. "There are twelve of them. No doubt they are planning their next attack on us." He cracked a small devilish smile. "I know each and every one of your powers and after seeing them at work, I'm certain you will succeed. Those campers may outnumber you, but they won't stand a chance so long as you all work together and show them no mercy!" He shouted loudly and directly to the young ones. " **Have I made myself clear?"**

"Yes, sir!" The team shouted in unison.

"Alright! Remember, Lord Orochimaru and I are counting on you. Now move out!" Kabuto extended his arm, signaling for the team to leave via the cave exit. Immediately, they ran out in a straight line, Gaara following close behind. _This is it! This should be interesting to see how well they do… especially Gaara…_

* * *

The team was jumping through the trees to reach their destination. While the others seemed prepared to fight to the death, Gaara couldn't help but wonder what his teammates had in mind for the coming battle.

"Uh… excuse me." The team turned their heads to see him. "Do you guys have a plan of attack?"

"Of course, we do," Sakon answered. "We make sure to stick together so we can back each other up when the fight really starts to heat up. We just dish out our best attacks and defend one another. There's actually not much else to it other than giving it your all." Sakon gave a devilish chuckle. "Plus, since I have my brother with me, nobody could ever stop us!"

Gaara smiled in response. If the team was so good at fighting, then he'd have nothing to fear; especially since he could control sand effectively.

"Let's not forget I have my flute," said Tayuya with a smirk. "Those ninja trash will stop dead in their tracks once I start playing!"

"Don't you guys forget my power," said Kidomaru. "I'll ensnare every one of them and have a little fun before bringing them to their inevitable doom!"

"Hey! Leave some for me, "Jirobo said. "I need all the chakra I can get from those punks."

"Tell you what," Kidomaru said to Jirobo. "you can suck all the chakra you want from them, but leave them alive so I can still have fun with them if you know what I mean." Jirobo gave a small smile in response.

"Alright, Kidomaru, sounds like a good deal to me." Jirobo said, grinning deviously.

"Excellent!" Kidomaru said with glee. "Now I'm really excited to exterminate our enemies. By the way, Sakon, are we almost there? I can barely contain the excitement!" Sakon gave a small sigh in annoyance.

"Yes, Kidomaru. We are nearly there."

A few minutes later, they reached the border of the campgrounds and saw their supposed opponents from the tree branches up high. The ninjas were hard at work, making sure their campfire stayed lit, keeping stock of their rations, and seemingly strategizing their next moves in the tent on the other side. Gaara turned to face his teammates.

"What's our first move?" He asked, keeping the volume of his voice to that of a mouse squeak. Sakon smirked in response.

"Since I'm the leader here, you all will wait and watch while I have my fun with the nearest guy! I'll let you know when you can join." Gaara gave a small nod in response, certain his team would fulfill the mission.

In the blink of an eye, Sakon dropped down on an unsuspecting ninja, pinning him to the ground chest down with his feet, the target became unconscious. The drop made a small 'thud' and it caught the attention of two nearby ninjas. With Sakon in their line of sight, they threw a barrage of kunais at him. Sakon, not the slightest bit intimidated by the oncoming attacks, quickly jumped high above the sharp projectiles. Suddenly, two arms and a head appeared growing behind him. The extra arms seized two of the kunais in midair and threw them back at the ninjas. The ninjas jumped back, barely avoiding them before they stuck into the ground. "Well done, brother. Even without our teammates, we could win just as easily. Your turn, Tayuya!"

"Alright!" Tayuya said, bringing her flute up to her lips. She blew into it with fingers on it moving at the speed of sound. Immediately, a sickening melody could be heard and Gaara suddenly saw three doki perched behind the girl. Tayuya continued playing and the three monsters lunged at the two enemy ninjas effectively crushing them. Gaara stood wide-eyed in bewilderment. Seeing Tayuya fighting with her flute made him amazed and grateful she was on his side. The doki disappeared in smoke and Tayuya turned to face Jirobo. "Your move, fatso!" Jirobo seethed when hearing that insult.

"I'll get you back for that, girl. Just you wait!" Tayuya chuckled in response. Clenching his fists Jirobo jumped from the trees and slammed one ninja into the ground, creating quite a big crater. He had successfully crushed the target's bones, nearly killing him. "Ha! Any of you other punks want a go?" Feeling spited by his taunt, three ninjas leaped at him with lightning speed, kunais facing their large target. Jirobo smirked and smacked them all away with one horizontal swoop of his hand, effectively pushing them forcefully against the trees, which fractured many of their bones. "Ha! Too easy." Jirobo collected the incapacitated ninjas and piled them in a corner of the campground. "Time to fill up!" He clutched the bodies and absorbed nearly all their chakra through his hands. Feeling satisfied, he shouted, "Kidomaru, I think it's time you had your 'fun' with these punks right now!"

Kidomaru licked his lips. "Don't mind if I do!" In the blink of an eye, he jumped onto an overhanging branch above the piled ninjas. He grabbed them one by one and threw them against the trees. He suddenly spat something large and white from his mouth, pinning them to the trunks. Suddenly, yellowish sticks in the shape of spider fangs emerged from his mouth, four in total for the number of ninjas stuck to the trees. He threw them straight at his targets. The projectiles pierced their targets with a sickening "Crunch", and blood came spilling out of their mouths in addition to where they were struck.

Gaara looked at his teammates with great surprise. He was certain they were competent in battle, but never had he expected to witness how ruthless they truly were. _No, way! He really was telling the truth…_ Gaara began to faintly quiver with fear. _They really are monsters! Could I possibly win against these guys by myself if it came to that? I'm not sure my sand would be quick or deadly enough._ Taking a deep breath, Gaara reminded himself that they were on his side.

Without much of a thought, Gaara quickly turned around to notice a kunai flying right toward his face. Sand came up to catch the oncoming projectile just in the nick of time. Suddenly, two ninjas appeared above him, they dropped down to strike him. Gaara immediately saw the attackers and quickly commanded the sand to wrap around the two ninjas, only their heads showing. Gaara furrowed his brow and clenched his fists, the sand immediately crushed the two. Streams of blood sprayed everywhere.

The four teammates looked with awe from the ground as they witnessed Gaara brutally killing his opponents with his sand manipulation. Sakon smiled sadistically. "Well, team, it seems we may have yet another competent fighter on our side." He rubbed his palms together. "And with 'branding' from Lord Orochimaru, he could become virtually unstoppable!"

Ukon, however, found a bit of discomfort in his brother's words. "Don't be so quick to praise the boy, Sakon. We should make sure we can still beat him, should the need ever arise." Sakon nodded his head in agreement reluctantly.

"Yes, we may have to train a little harder and longer if we're going to stay on top. I've been the leader of this team for nearly a year now; I'm not about to lose that role to a newbie!" Sakon clenched his fists in fear and anger. His teammates came over and assured him he'd still be their leader no matter what. Sakon loosened up a little when he heard their words of encouragement.

Without wasting time, Gaara immediately hopped down to greet his team. He had a look in his eyes that hinted he wanted more of a fight. The teammates smiled at him. Taking a deep breath, Gaara said, "are there more of them?"

Kidomaru took one step forward to the boy. "I hear ya, sand boy. I could go for another round myself."

"It seems the others have fled during our battles," Sakon said with a disappointed sigh. "I don't sense anyone else here." Everyone felt let down. Sakon then smiled. "But not to worry… if they come back, we'll be ready, won't we?" Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. "Well, I'd say our work here is done. Time to head back!" He leaped up through the trees and everyone followed. A feeling of accomplishment lingered in all their minds.

* * *

 **So that was Chapter 4. If you liked it and/or want to tell me how to make this story better, please post a review for it. Until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

As he was following his teammates back to base, Gaara began to smile. Being with his new team made him feel he was finally part of a family. In his mind, Gaara envisioned the potential missions he and his new partners would undertake. He imagined working side by side with them to defeat their attackers. He also began to wonder what kinds of activities he would get to do with his team when not on a mission. _Sure, I have a family back in Suna, but aside from Uncle Yashamaru, when have they made time for me? They never even let me come with them on their missions._

Jirobo, who was trailing behind the first three, turned his head to see Gaara had slowed down a bit and gained a noticeable amount of distance from them. "Hey, punk! Keep up, would ya? We don't need a newcomer slowing us down!"

Gaara quickly came back to his senses and started jumping on the branches a little faster to catch up. Jirobo smiled and turned back to face his other comrades, making sure he kept up as well.

After making sure he was caught up with his team, Gaara began to wonder what his teammates thought of him. _Wow! I guess he wanted me to catch up. Does he and the others care about me? Do they see something in me that makes them want me?_

After some time had passed, the team returned to their place of dwelling. Kabuto stood in front of the cave entrance as if he predicted their arrival. He quickly clapped his hands in congratulations. "Great work, all of you. I've been keeping my eye on you from a distance ever since you departed for the campgrounds." Kabuto cleared his throat before continuing. "I've seen how all of you fought your enemies and I am pleased to say you've all done well." The Sound Four smirked approvingly and Gaara gave a small smile in response as well. They felt quite pleased with themselves, feeling they really had completed their mission.

Bearing in mind all that had happened during the mission, Kabuto's gleeful expression turned into a rather stern one. "However, I noticed a few of your targets had slipped through your fingers and successfully escaped. Regrettably, they could very well come back with reinforcements and that will endanger all of us." He relaxed his face a bit. "But seeing as how swift and lethal your overall attack was, perhaps we don't need to worry. However," He narrowed his eyes. "…From this day forward, I want every one of you to step up your attacks and do everything possible to make sure none of your targets escape. Our base of operations here is in danger of being discovered and we mustn't let anyone infiltrate this place lest we lose it to them and be forced to find someplace new! **Do I make myself clear?"**

Altogether, the team said loudly, "Yes, sir!" Gaara felt a spark of fear well up inside of him. He didn't want to lose to his enemies and so he resolved to do better not just for himself, but for his new 'family' too. It was bad enough Gaara lost his previous family (not that they seemingly cared much for him), but to lose the people who have treated him as best as anyone has would surely be devastating.

"Alright, you four," Kabuto said, addressing the original team. "Back to your rooms. I'll be over there to discuss with you your next mission."

"Yes, sir!" The four said, and they ran back through the dark cave entrance.

Kabuto turned to face Gaara. "Now then. I believe it's time! This way, please." He motioned for the redhead boy to follow and Gaara immediately obeyed. They walked down a corridor somewhere in the dimly lit cave and Kabuto stopped in front of a door. "Alright, before we begin, I need to warn you." Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow, still unsure what was about to happen. "Lord Orochimaru is quite a formidable man, he hates when anyone says or does something he deems offensive. Make sure you speak only when he questions you, and make sure your words are kind and to the point." Gaara gave a small nod in response.

Kabuto slowly reached for the handle and turned it. An unlocking sound could be heard from the door followed by a long creaking sound as he slowly and gently swung it open. He motioned for the boy to step through and Gaara did just that. Right when he got through the doorway, Gaara widened his eyes in surprise. There in front of him, sitting on a throne surrounded by stairs, was a man who had the most frightening appearance he had ever seen. The man was dressed the same as Gaara's teammates with the light cloak and purple belt tied around his waist. The man's face was nearly pale as snow, which contrasted his long flowing black hair. His eyes had purple markings around them and they glowed a bright yellow with black slits in them much like that of a snake's.

His voice was so sickly and sinister, it made Gaara's spine tingle slightly. "Why, hello," he said with a devilish grin. "You must be Gaara. Kabuto has told me about you." Gaara lightly nodded his head. "How are you liking it here? Do you like your new team?"

Taking a deep breath, Gaara addressed Orochimaru's question calmly. "Yeah, my teammates seem to be pretty great so far. I know I've only been here for a short time now, but I feel a bit like I'm a member of a family. Seeing how those guys used their powers to kill our enemies today made me realize I'm not truly alone, and that there are others like myself."

Orochimaru smirked with approval. "Glad to hear it, Gaara." He stood up and narrowed his gaze on the small boy. "Now don't move. I need you to hold still for the final phase in your acceptance here in my cave." Gaara raised a nonexistent eyebrow, curious as to what Orochimaru meant.

Suddenly, Orochimaru's head started raising up high with his neck extending out with inhuman length. Gaara eyes flared with fear. How this was physically possible, Gaara didn't know. In the blink of an eye, Orochimaru's head, still attached to his elongated neck, appeared right next to Gaara's right shoulder. Gaara could only stare with impressionable fear as he witnessed Orochimaru's unfathomable neck-stretching and speed. Before he could blink, Gaara started yelling in pain. Blood was seen dripping from the scary man's fangs as the head slid back to its body, neck back to normal size. Gaara fell to his knees with a hand covering the bitemark. The boy gritted his teeth, trying to withstand the pain he was feeling not only from the bite, but the same pain that flooded his entire body.

Orochimaru licked away the blood on his fangs with a devilish smile. He gently said, "Try to relax, my boy. The pain you're feeling will go away soon, I promise." With that, Orochimaru began to chuckle, which made Gaara feel somewhat uneasy.

Unsure of what to make of his situation, Gaara tried to stand back on his feet. Halfway up to standing position, Gaara felt a giant jolt of pain added to his already great pain and fell on his chest. His vision started to blur, and his hearing made it sound to him as if he was in a long tunnel before he became unconscious.

* * *

His eyes slowly opened and Gaara saw he was laying on a bed with white sheets and immediately, he knew he was back in his cell. He sat up straight, still a little woozy, and looked toward the rocky ceiling for a while. The light in the cell was a little dim, so his eyes had to adjust for a moment before seeing clearly again. After some time had passed, the boy remembered what had happened and reached to feel the bite on his neck. Gaara's eyes widened with confusion; he couldn't feel the bite anywhere. _Was that just a dream? It couldn't be, could it? How long was I out for?_ Taking a deep breath, Gaara slid his feet off the bed and down to the cold, hard ground. Still feeling a little dizzy, he struggled to keep his balance for a moment before slowly walking toward the mirror on the other side of his cell.

Once he got in front of the tall mirror, he strained to see where he was bitten in the reflection. He cocked his head to the side and position his body diagonally in relation to it. His eyes widened with shock. There on the back of his neck was something that looked to be a tattoo. It looked like three dark tadpole silhouettes trailing each other in a small circle. _Impossible! I don't know how deep that bite was, but do injuries like that heal quickly? Again, how long was I unconscious? Also, why is there a tattoo where I was supposedly bitten?_

Gaara's questioning thoughts were interrupted when he heard what sounded like footsteps somewhere in the cave. Quickly, he spun around to face the cell bars and see if he could spot where the ongoing sound was coming from. He straightened his back and took a breath in preparation. Suddenly a figure appeared in front of the door. Gaara relaxed a bit when he saw who it was. Kabuto was peering in with a smile. "Ah, good to see you've survived Orochimaru's curse mark ritual. How are you feeling?" Gaara told him he was feeling fine though slightly dizzy as well. Kabuto nodded approvingly. "Glad to hear it. The hatred you harbor for the ones who wronged you will keep you alive now that you have his curse seal."

Gaara stared with a blank expression, not completely sure what to make of Kabuto's words. Was he talking about the 'tattoo' on his neck? Was he implying that if the hatred Gaara had were to suddenly vanish, the seal he had would greatly harm him? The boy opened his mouth to speak, but Kabuto cut him off.

"Lord Orochimaru will beckon for you in due time, and it would do you good to heed that call." Gaara still didn't quite understand what Kabuto was saying. Was he implying the seal on his neck was a way for Orochimaru to reach him, and if so, how? Slowly, the cell door slid open and Kabuto stepped through holding some pale garments and a purple rope. "Now that you're one of us, I must insist you wear these to prove your allegiance. You won't be needing the clothes you're now wearing, I assure you." With that, Kabuto gently threw the items onto Gaara's bed and walked back out of the cell. He closed the door and said, "I'll be back shortly. Please put those clothes on immediately, and I'll talk with you about your next mission." Gaara gave a small nod in response. Kabuto turned and walk away back through the dim hallway. Gaara watched until the man was out of sight, shrouded in the faraway darkness.

Gaara quickly slid off his clothes and put on his new clothes. He struggled for quite a while trying to tie the purple rope around his waist, but after a few minutes of trial and error, he finally got it tied in a firm knot in front. Feeling confident the rope would stay on, Gaara walked in front of the mirror to see himself in his new attire. He nodded to himself, asserting newfound confidence. This was the beginning of a new life for him, and he was going to work hard for the new 'family' he had received.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading this chapter. Hopefully, I'll have more written for you to enjoy eventually. Until next time!**


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